Politicians must seize the opportunity to re-shape public services

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Politicians must set out a coherent long term approach to public services in advance of the Comprehensive Spending Review says the cross-party and authoritative Commission on 2020 Public Services. In its final report published today, the Commission calls for a complete reconfiguring of public services around the needs and capabilities of citizens, based on the principle of social productivity.

The report claims that our public services are increasingly unsustainable. The impact of an ageing society could load the equivalent of an extra 4-6% of GDP on to public spending over the next two decades. Inequality is rising and current public service productivity has been falling.

Salami sliced cuts are not the answer say the group, but fundamental
reform based on long-term and strategic principles. The Commission calls for a new deal between
citizens and the state, based on social productivity - greater social
responsibility and more intelligent collaboration between citizens and public
services. They propose three policy
‘shifts' to get there, based on eighteen months of research and analysis:

A Shift in Culture: active collaboration between the citizens,
society, the state and the market is the future of public service
delivery. Local people should be
running public realm services - such as parks, leisure centres and
libraries- as mutuals and cooperatives.
School curriculums should be more locally and community-determined. New lifecycle social accounts should
track tax, benefits and service use, and allow social contribution to be
recorded and valued.

A Shift in Power: our system is over-centralised and needs a
radical shift in power away from the centre, towards citizens. Where possible, citizens should
commission services themselves using individual budgets and choice
advisors. Neighbourhoods should
control their own integrated services.
Welfare services should be locally controlled. Whitehall must get smaller, with a
reduction in departments and ministers.

A Shift in Finance: public services must be more open, transparent
and understandable to citizens. At
a time of fiscal austerity, it is essential that political leadership
squares with citizens about where the money is going. An online statement of contributions and
benefits should be available to everyone.
Co-payment models should be used for higher education and long-term
social care. Service providers
should be paid by results.

The Commission's report argues that, at a time of rapid change in public
services, government must pay attention to some key lessons about managing
change.

The Treasury must be open and honest with citizens about the scale
of cuts and the potential impacts of key reforms. 58% of the public accept the need for
cuts, but politicians have not spelled out their immediate or long-term
impacts. This must happen openly
and transparently, or long-term reform will be undermined.

Public service reform will be unsustainable without up-front
investment and integrated local service plans to build social capacity in
deprived areas. The state must take
a much more focused approach to tackling inequality and building community
resilience.

Local control must be extended as a way of managing change and
providing citizen-centric public services.
Without visible accountability and strategic, locality level
commissioning, reforms in health, education and elsewhere risk fragmenting
an already siloed system and reinforcing the centre.

The Commission proposes a new set of arrangements to begin shifting
power away from the centre and towards citizens and communities. Its 2020 Locality model proposes a negotiated
deal between citizens, local government and Whitehall based on a ‘more for
less' principle: less funding from the centre, in return for greater control
over defining outcomes and commissioning services.

Chair of the 2020 Commission Sir Andrew Foster said:

"The fiscal crisis must be used as an opportunity to re-shape public
services for the long term. We already
know the demands ahead are unaffordable, and there is a real gap between what
citizens want and what our services can deliver. We have set out our own principles for 2020
public services. It is now up to our
politicians to demonstrate responsible leadership by being up-front and honest
with citizens about the kind of society they want to see emerging from short
term cuts and reforms."

2020 Public Services Trust Director Ben Lucas said:

"It is time to get beyond the stale debate over postcode lotteries -
social outcomes are already different across the country under our supposedly
universalist system. Far better to have
minimum national standards and allow localities to develop their own approaches
to improving social outcomes."

ENDS

For more information
please contact Ashish Prashar on 07775 501 839

Notes to Editors

From social
security to social productivity: a vision for 2020 Public Services is the
final report of the Commission on 2020 Public Services. The
report calls for a complete reconfiguring of public services around the
needs and capabilities of citizens, based on the principle of social
productivity. It argues that our public services are increasingly
unsustainable. The Commission calls for a new deal between citizens and
the state, based on social productivity - greater social responsibility
and more intelligent collaboration between citizens and public services.
Download the report.

In developing these principles for change the Commission has engaged
with service users and public service professions through on-line forums
and seminars, and with citizens through focus groups in locations across
England spanning rural, urban and metroplitan areas. Ipsos MORI conducted this research.

The
2020 Public Services Trust is a registered charity (no. 1124095), based at
the RSA. It is not aligned with any political party and operates with
independence and impartiality. The Trust exists to stimulate deeper
understanding of the challenges facing public services in the medium term.
Through research, inquiry and discourse, it aims to develop rigorous and
practical solutions, capable of sustaining support across all political
parties. For more information about
the Trust please visit www.2020publicservicestrust.org

The
Trust launched the Commission on 2020 Public Services in December 2008, to
recommend the characteristics of a new public services settlement
appropriate for the future needs and aspirations of citizens, and the best
practical arrangements for its implementation.

Commission members span a wide breadth of political opinion, experience
and expertise from academia, business, the voluntary sector, and the
public policy and political world.
Sir Andrew Foster is the Chair, and members range from the Rt Hon
Stephen Dorrell MP and Bridget Rosewell to Lord Victor Adebowale and
Matthew Taylor. The full list of
members can be found here.

The Commission's work has been
supported by a range of public, private and third sector organisations. A full list of partners can be found here.

Following on from
the publication of the 2020 Public Services Commission report, ‘From
Social security to social productivity: a vision for 2020 Public Services'
and the Government's Spending Review, this summit will discuss how public
services can respond to adversity and current economic challenges by
mobilising citizen and collective resources to create better social and
economic outcomes. The RSA and 2020 Public
Services Trust would like to offer you an early opportunity to secure your place at The 2020/RSA Public Services
Summit at the RSA on Tuesday, 9th November 2010.

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